Bull dogs have little dogs

Lewis Richardson’s famous 1920 climate science paper ‘The supply of energy from and to Atmospheric Eddies’ was neatly summarized by the poem:

Big whorls have little whorls
That feed on their velocity,
And little whorls have lesser whorls
And so on to viscosity.

Isn’t that a brilliant description of turbulence? So climate scientists have, from time to time, had a nice way with words.

When Tamino announced that he had become Hansen’s bull dog, this little poem came to my mind. The idea of Hansen or Mann, bull dogs themselves, needing their own bull dog seemed redundant. And didn’t Hansen already have his own bull dog, Gavin? (For those in doubt, see how often Gavin has rushed to defend Hansen from any slight.) But redundant or not, it seemed that bull dogs had little dogs.

So here is a modern version of Lewis Richardson’s famous doggerel:

Bull dogs have little dogs
That feed on their ferocity
And little dogs have lesser dogs
And thus to animosity.

Originally due to Swift (1733) although he had different organisms in mind!

The Vermin only teaze and pinch
Their Foes superior by an Inch.
So Nat’ralists observe,
a Flea Hath smaller Fleas that on him prey,
And these have smaller Fleas to bite ’em,
And so proceed ad infinitum.

QUOTATION: So, naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite ’em;
And so proceed ad infinitum.

ATTRIBUTION: Poetry, a Rhapsody.

And as an addendum

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.
And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on;
While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on.

Anyone know why there’s such a disconnect between what Tamino says in Graph 1 on this page (showing warming since 1988) and Climate Skeptic has says in Graph 1 on this page (showing cooling over the same period)?

Apples and oranges, again. Because those that seem to have a vested interest in denying that the planet is warming will use whichever record supports this point of view best, the “Skeptic” has substituted sat temps for GISTEMP when filling in the graph…

Yet another valuable contribution to the state of the science. I guess you took my comment in the previous thread to heart and have resorted to just openly mocking climate scientists. Classy as always.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Rural adjustments have light adjustments
applied with robust rigour,
These adjustments have urban adjustments,
but now we’ve lost the figures.

And with a nod to G&S

I am the very model of a modern climatologist,
On the rigour and robustness of my results I really must insist,
And if you question my predictions then you surely must desist,
For I am the very model of a modern climatologist.

My data fits my models and my models fit my data too,
So if you question them then it’s quite fair that I should ignore you,
For you can only be one of those Climate Change denialists,
And who are you to question the world’s greatest climatologist.

Tamino seems to love to loudly bark
Even when his facts are in the dark
His warnings of peril are very stark,
But methinks he is just on an extended lark
This might get snipped by Steve the Shark
So I will just conclude this little snark.

Steve … Unprecendetetly ? is an adverb. BUT as you know you can do what you are trying to achieve here, much better in french. 🙂
Steve: How about “unprecedentity” (constructed after identity). Much more harmonious. Revised accordingly.

Briffa, Hansen and Mann one time
Sailed off in a paper or two —
Riding a rising temperature clime,
Which they blamed on CO2.
“Where is the data, so show us the trick?”
M & M asked the three.
“We have come with proxies and a hockey stick
And secret methodology;
Unprecedented warmth have we!”
Said Briffa,
Hansen,
And Mann.

Dern Steve! I liked Pierre’s rap, and I neither like or know much about rap. Of course, Climate rap has one strike against it just from the name. Or as one Science Fiction writer said, 90% of everything is Climate rap.

There once was a kid with internet access. He mostly used it to read comics.
But he soon took an interest in politics.

The child did read many a blog. And follow through did he.
Twas through this journey-or perhaps an adventure-that he came across the blog of thee.

And he said-“What a curious thing this climate change be. It sure brings out all sorts.”
He lurked for a while and read comments and responses. Blog scuffles did follow and when an one questioned-my you can imagine the retorts!

To gain understanding he researched and investigated.
And all the while he saw warming debated!

After a while the discussion became heated.
Though temperatures dropped, catastrophe was not yet defeated.

The young man then decided-as they are wont to do-
that with this whole thing, he was finally through!

He took a break from it all, and the got the rest that he needed.
But his advice for coolness had not gone unheeded.

And who was this boy, of whom I do speak?
That information I do choose to leak.

There once was a climate scientist from Nantucket
When asked about his verifying data he said that he chucked it
He continues to this day in his imperious way
When asked about CA he says please duck it.

The following is a post From ‘dot earth’ yesterday (The New York times)
Dave Andrews (183) — I am quoting a part of what Tamino recently wrote.
“And by the way: Anthony Watts and his contributors are grotesquely incompetent at data analysis. Just in case any of his “fans” are reading this, I’ll repeat: as a data analyst, Anthony Watts and his collaborators are the most grossly incompetent data analysts I’ve ever seen anyone take seriously. It’s truly pathetic.”
I recommend simply ignoring WattsUp. It’ll help preserve your sanity.
— Posted by David B. Benson

This thread’s title prompted me to look up the words to the Beatles song ‘Bulldog’

Big man walking in the park
Wigwam frightened of the dark
Some kind of solitude is
measured out in you

You think you know but you haven’t got a clue
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
If you’re lonely, you can talk to me

If I remember correctly the Bulldog in the song had two heads. This relates to the Roman God Janus, who had one head turned forward toward modernization and the other stubbornly fastened on the past. I think Tamino is subconsciously troubled about his views as he knows that with his defence of his masters he is trying to hold on to theories that he realises belong to the past. He is obviously asking for our help in showing him the future, as represented by the more forward thinking views expressed on this site.

Look, I’m a Beatles fan who likes history and has been watching too many re-runs of Frasier as the weather has been so cold. It’s a theory, and as good as most of those I read about AGW! Can I have some research funds please to expand it?

I was glancing at a paper
Yesterday
It had some problems
All of the way
The maths didn’t fit
And the logic

WACK

I threw that paper out of the back

I saw another paper that looked kinda cool
Dope and fresh and stupid crazy maybe
What the heck
But the author hesitatin’ like some fool
Said I couldn’t check
Their work
Just standing there frontin’
Like some jerk

NO

Yelling and screaming
You can’t get my code
Forget about the data
You aint no climatisa

So I said yo, I’m gonna check you out
That you ain’t actin right, there’s no doubt
Maybe your work
Is really very fine
But then again baby
Maybe you just swine

I’ll take a look to find your mistakes
And while I’m at it
I’ll bake some cakes

Folks, I don’t think that anyone has proven able to get beyond 5 lines yet. So I suggest that you restrct yourselves to short formats and try for one punchy thing (avoiding references to Mann, Hansen and Gore).

And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Climate Scientist, King of Things,
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The temperatures just fell away.”

Dogs love to Frolic,
chasing a (hockey) stick.
Scientists love to ponder,
which cherry they should pick.
The economy in the balance,
is looking rather sick.
Whether the weather matters,
the clouds are growing thick.

It is the very model of a modern Maunder minimum
(I wanted to be plainer but I couldn’t find a Synonym)
And thanks to modern media it’s not believed by anyone
The sun has done a bunk and we will freeze for a millennium
And so I’ll see you later; I am off for the equator
For is the very model of a modern Major-minimum

“The Lotos-Eaters”, to retain the original spelling, is a celebrated poem written in 1833 by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Tennyson envisages several of the main points of Global Warming and presents them in cryptic poetry with allusion. I have appended some explanatory comment.

“Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land,
“This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.”Inaugural IPCC rally call.
In the afternoon they came unto a land
In which it seemèd always afternoon.Query Time of Observation Bias TOBS.
All round the coast the languid air did swoon,
Breathing like one that hath a weary dream.Anthony Watts site class 5.
Full-faced above the valley stood the moon;
And, like a downward smoke, the slender stream
Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem.Complex motion, Navier Stokes.

A land of streams! some, like a downward smoke,
Slow-dropping veils of thinnest lawn, did go;Top candidate for stats model grant.
And some through wavering lights and shadows broke,
Rolling a slumbrous sheet of foam below.Increasing storm activity.
They saw the gleaming river seaward flow
From the inner land; far off, three mountaintops,
Three silent pinnacles of aged snow,Glacial retreat.
Stood sunset-flush’d; and, dew’d with showery drops,
Up-clomb the shadowy pine above the woven copse.Bristlecone chronology uncertainty.

The charmèd sunset linger’d low adown
In the red West: through mountain clefts the dale
Was seen far inland, and the yellow downCorrection for lapse rate.
Border’d with palm, and many a winding vale
And meadow, set with slender galingale;
A land where all things always seem’d the same!Adjustment-free term of climate records.
And round about the keel with faces pale,
Dark faces pale against that rosy flame,
The mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters came.Formulation meeting, emissions trading.

Branches they bore of that enchanted stem,
Laden with flower and fruit, whereof they gaveCarbon dioxide fertilization.
To each, but whoso did receive of them
And taste, to him the gushing of the wave
Far far away did seem to mourn and raveAuthors of AGW papers affected.
On alien shores; and if his fellow spake,
His voice was thin, as voices from the grave;Unable to release raw data (RIP).
And deep-asleep he seem’d, yet all awake,
And music in his ears his beating heart did make.Poor signal:noise ratio.

They sat them down upon the yellow sand,
Between the sun and moon upon the shore;Hoping for sea level rise.
And sweet it was to dream of Fatherland,
Of child, and wife, and slave; but evermore
Most weary seem’d the sea, weary the oar,Oar shaped like hockey stick.
Weary the wandering fields of barren foam,
Then some one said, “We will return no more”;Rehabilitation rebate ceases.
And all at once they sang, “Our island home
Is far beyond the wave; we will no longer roam.”Publish only in acquiescing journals.

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